(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
More Trolleylolology [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2023-09-05
A man is standing on a trolley track and the trolley is going to hit him because he didn't throw the switch and turn the trolley onto the other track 30 years ago. He is only now beginning to accept that he has a serious problem, in the form of a trolley bearing down on him. He has been in denial since the 1980s. Oddly, in the 1980s he was asked to solve a similar problem in which a bicyclist (CFCs in freon destroying the ozone layer) was bearing down on him and instead of switching the bicyclist to another path, or dodging out of the bicyclist's way, he shot the bicyclist and buried him and his bicycle at the crossroads. Consequently some people, such as Carl Sagan, thought that, maybe, just maybe, our hero would react rationally. Instead, our hero listened to the important messages from the "Trolley Cars Running People Over Corporation" which led him to doubt the science and to believe them when they said they would develop CO2 extraction technology, fusion power, and AI porn in time to save the world. Oh, that's bullshit. He didn't doubt the science. He just decided the problem was too big and inconvenient and concluded that trolley impact might not be that bad, really; maybe it's kind of fun. Besides, we all love trains, right?
Economists and moral philosophers insist that humans make mostly rational, informed, decisions but in this example we have a clearly rational and moral option, which was mostly ignored. I remember when the game theorists (a branch of philosophers who like stupid trolley car problems) pointed out that the obvious rational decision was to stop subsidizing fossil fuels and spend the subsidies on green energy instead because in that case the scenarios were:
Best case: We avert planetary catastrophe and get cheaper energy and solar iPhones
We avert planetary catastrophe and get cheaper energy and solar iPhones Median case: We experience a calamitous couple centuries and adapt and survive because we have much cheaper energy and solar iPhones and if you wave an iPhone really fast you can fan yourself with it
We experience a calamitous couple centuries and adapt and survive because we have much cheaper energy and solar iPhones and if you wave an iPhone really fast you can fan yourself with it Worst case: We spend a bunch of money and get cheaper energy and solar iPhones and it turns out the planetary catastrophe was not going to actually happen, but did I mention the iPhones can run AI porn? We all live happily ever after until we have a nuclear war
I expect that the game theorists will have quit in disgust. Who wants to be associated with a field of endeavor that is so easily blown off by the public, when they could be arguing instead that we all live in a simulation operated by Elon Musk. Oh, fuck those guys.
But, really, how can something this stupid have happened? I have decades of professional experience with stupidity and even my imagination is beggared by the magnitude of the stupidity that humanity has arrayed against this problem. Let me give you an example: The Paris Accords
For every ton of CO2 you release, this golden retriever puppy will be fed a ton of tar sands: CARBON NEUTRAL
All the ruling factions of the planet agreed to dramatically cut back on their CO2 emissions. This completely made sense, because you cannot lie to nature. The idea is that there is too much CO2 in the air, and we need to emit less of it, because the laws of physics - which you cannot argue with - and nature, agree that the planet will get warmer if we keep emitting CO2. The premise of the Paris Accords is, "oh, OK, we get it about the CO2." Then, everyone went home and began to lie about it. The US unilaterally exempted its military from its carbon footprint [This is true] because fuck you we're planetary cops and cops need donuts. The fossil fuel companies announced they were going "carbon neutral" meaning that the fossil fuels they were selling would still spew megatonnes of CO2 into the air, but their extraction processes would be "green". And, oh, yeah, they were lying about that, too. Vast fortunes were made selling "carbon credits" premised on the idea that "for every ton of CO2 you release, this golden retriever puppy will be fed a ton of tar sands!" except it turned out they were lying about the puppy. And then there was president "After all, he's been waiting a long time" Biden who lied outright about how he ... Ugh, it bears repeating: [ap]
The former vice president and Democratic presidential candidate made the comment Friday after a New Hampshire environmental activist challenged him for accepting donations from the co-founder of liquified natural gas firm. Biden denied the donor’s association to the fossil fuel industry before calling the young woman “kiddo” and taking her hand. He said, “I want you to look at my eyes. I guarantee you. I guarantee you. We’re going to end fossil fuel.”
[I very much doubt that the environmental activist "kiddo" will ever read this, but if you do please contact me and tell me how you feel about being used as a public glop sponge by a really cynical old man.]
Absolutely none of that affected the laws of physics and nature in the slightest. Let's try another scenario: imagine you're in a submarine and there's a mechanical problem that's going to keep it from surfacing for 120,000 years. There's an American on board, and he explains that he's going to continue to smoke his pipe, because otherwise the tobacco industry will collapse don't you know, and that might bring down the stock markets. Instead of justifiably beating him to death and launching him out a torpedo tube, the others in the submarine calibrate their smoking as a percentage of the American's because, I dunno, WTF.
The Maui Wowie.
Amazingly, the US' leaders continue to spend just about $1tn/year on "defense" (which, hopefully, I have convinced you is nothing of the sort) while complaining that there isn't any money for green energy. This is also unbelievably goofy: how much is it going to cost to renovate New York, and Boston next time they are underwater? Never mind New Orleans and Miami, or the fires that burn the west coast every summer, and the Maui Wowie - I guess none of those matter until someplace where a lot of donors live goes up in smoke. Wait 'till Kennebunkport burns. Fuck waiting, go burn it, someone.
I guess this is just another "why I am a doomer" piece. [stderr] because humans and their political leaders were unable to do the simple game theory thought experiment of "should I switch the trolley to another track, or become red, sticky, track-lube?" If humans and their political leaders were capable of making an obvious decision based on supreme self-interest, instead of laziness and the status quo, we'd have done it 30 years ago. I just hope we have the presence of mind to kill the rich and powerful, instead of preserving them to continue mis-ruling us, because in 2020-2 we saw a good example of what a great job of disaster handling they do when the chips are down and there's nowhere for them to run. They just lie.
"the planet is on fire, seen from orbit"
[This is a repost from my regular blog over at Freethoughtblogs]
[Before you complain: yes, I voted for Biden because the alternative was worse. But he’s still a lying mozarella stick. I voted for Clinton, because the alternative was worse and it was her turn. But she is still an opportunist and a warhawk. I voted for Obama twice because the alternative was worse and he said he’d close Gitmo. Of course he’s a liar. I knew he would lie but I still hate him for it. I just hate him less than the alternative. Am I going to vote for Biden again? God I hope they run a bucket of library paste, instead but — the alternative is worse.]
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/9/5/2191695/-More-Trolleylolology
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
